I used to say, 'Things cost too much.'
Then my teacher straightened me out on that by saying,
'The problem isn't that things cost too much.
The problem is that you can't afford it.'
That's when I finally understood that the problem wasn't 'it'
the problem was 'me.'
Jim Rohn
Economics Quote of the Day
[Adam] Smith it seemed unlikely that the “artificial direction” given to the economic efforts of society would be better than the direction it would have taken “of its own accord.” But here as elsewhere in The Wealth of Nations, the question was ultimately not one of theory but of fact.
History showed that governments habitually mismanaged economic affairs, that such mismanagement was difficult to correct (in contrast to the market’s swift correction by bankruptcy), and the the whole bias of government projects was toward things that were big and showy rather than useful. A government will often create works “of splendour and magnificence” to be seen by those whose applause will flatter its vanity and promote its political interests but will neglect “a great number of little works” which may have “extreme utility” but present no “great appearance” to “excite … the admiration” of passers-by. Down through the centuries governments have been prone to operate at a deficit, often using tricky fiscal devices to conceal just how much they were in debt. -Thomas Sowell HT Cafe HayekThis was written in 1979 isn't it amazing how prophetic Sowell was back then, we have Democrat-controlled Senate hasn't put up a budget in over 1000 days, a President whose own budget was rejected even by his Senate partisan colleagues, Obama has been pushing white elephant boondoggles like high-speed trains, Keynesian spending binges dressed up as "stimulus spending". We have baked-in spending increases for most of the budget and Obama's disingenuous idea of "shared sacrifice" is current class warfare tax hikes with deferred cuts in budget increases late in the decade to follow beyond any second term.
There is a hot best seller largely and predictably ignored by the fawning mainstream coverage of the Empty Suit (by way when Clint Eastwood channeled his inner Bob Newhart with the empty chair bit, I thought it would have been much funnier if he had brought an empty suit to put on the chair next to him]. I know for a fact that I would be at least 5 times a better President--to start with I wouldn't be a whiny bitch scapegoating my predecessors; you know, you punk, you ran 2 years for a position you weren't qualified for; you know, man up. be careful of what you wish for; at least I have the stones to own up to my performance. There was a rumor around the time of my dissertation defense some troublemakers might show up, and I was a cocky young academic saying to my chair, they should "bring it on." I can think of at least half a dozen failing projects I've personally turned around. Those of us who are legitimate overachievers scoff at the pretentious Barack Obama;granted, he won the Presidency with the thinnest resume in American history, but a yellow dog could have won in an open election with the incumbent at a record low rating; if you elected me President with a conservative Congress I would change the world.
Going back to Edward Klein's bestseller The Amateur, which I have not read yet, the following comes from the jacket:
In this stunning exposé, bestselling author Edward Klein—a contributing editor to Vanity Fair, former foreign editor of Newsweek, and former editor-in-chief of the New York Times Magazine—pulls back the curtain on one of the most secretive White Houses in history. He reveals a callow, thin-skinned, arrogant president with messianic dreams of grandeur supported by a cast of true-believers, all of them united by leftist politics and an amateurish understanding of executive leadership.
In The Amateur you’ll discover:
- Why the so-called “centrist” Obama is actually in revolt against the values of the society he was elected to lead
- How Obama has taken more of a personal role in making foreign policy than any president since Richard Nixon—with disastrous results
Can lightning strike twice for this snake oil salesman? Fool American voters once, shame on you, if the American people re vote easily the worst, most incompetent President in American history shame on them
Some brief political notes: Romney is tied with Obama in the more accurate Rasmussen and Gallup polls; if I was in the Obama campaign, I would be worried. it's not just losing the post-convention bounce (which usually dissipates} but Romney has been on the defensive the last couple of weeks, and apparently their ubiquitous ads are not connecting. If I were Romney, I would campaign as the anti-Obama: no excuses up to the challenge, give me a GOP Congress, the same thing you gave the Democrats, and we'll put the government on a diet that goes beyond the student lunchroom. I'll let free enterprise heal the economy, while Obama can heal the planet in the private sector. I'll get the government out of the way of our businesses producing insanely great products and services.
Congressman Gutierrez is quoted as ensuring Obama will deliver a Latino-friendly immigration reform. This is the same scam Obama pulled in 2008, Not going to happen with a filibuster-vulnerable Senate, There was a deal on the table in 2007 which Obama sabotaged in favor of his union bosses. The idea he's going to deliver reform without revamping a visiting worker program is a pipe dream.And I'm sympathetic on immigration reform: trust me: any Latino who believes Obama can deliver on that promise is delusional. he couches his language on regaining an overwhelming Dem majority which won't happen. ironically just as anti-Communist Richard Nixon opened the road to Red China, Romney may be the one candidate whom can deliver comprehensive immigration reform.
Around the World
- IDB editorial, 'You Broke Mideast, Mr. President, Now You Own It", Thumbs UP! I got an email alert over the weekend talking about Obama's surge troops now removed: was the operation worth the large casualty count?. This is mostly a rehash of Obama's amateurish foreign policy including one of appeasement to Muslim dissidents, in particular Egypt, and critical of Israeli policies.I would have talked about the mixed message of expanding drone attacks and Obama's uneven treatment of Iran's green revolution. There is also a possible link between the Libya consulate attacks and Obama's military actions.
- The Argentina economy slumping under Kirchner the reelected widow whom has slowed growth by about two-thirds with counterproductive loose money, nationalized companies and imports and currency controls, etc, Inflation is skyrocketing and the IMF is threatening censure.
- ECB Bond Buying? Thumbs DOWN! I think the bailouts amount to moral hazard.
Unacceptable Law and Order
A double amputee (one arm and one leg) was shot and killed after cornering the police officer's partner in a corner of the group home with his wheelchair and threatening him with a pen in a swiping motion. two armed officers can't disable a one-armed man without using deadly force. No excuses: unacceptable!
Musical Interlude: My Favorite Groups
The Commodores, "Oh, No". One of my favorite Richie songs, I put him next to Paul McCartney in writing memorable pop melodies; I've all but stopped listening to current music. Very few songs with a memorable hook. This song reminds me of a petite lady, one of the daughters of a UT engineering professor. She was a math ed graduate student and shared an office down the hall from mine, and I had an unrequited crush on her. Unfortunately for me, she was already involved with an engineer. I had expected to join the USAF as an officer (a meteorologist trainee), but I got passed over and was living inexpensively off campus trying to find work--this was before Austin, then in a no-growth, quality of life mode, grew to its present size. I used to venture onto campus to scan want ads at the library (the placement center refused to help because I wasn't a current student); I was trying to get a job teaching at a community college to no avail. I tried to go back to pick up high school teaching credentials, but I needed financial aid; my parents refused to submit paperwork, saying they refused to enable my becoming a "professional student". My little brother was enrolled at UT, and I pointed out my parents' data were already on file, but the college bureaucrat claimed using it would violate my brother's "data privacy" (expletive deleted).
Anyway, my crush saw me crossing me campus one day and called me over. I found myself losing myself in those warm brown eyes once again. She was excited to tell me something. She proudly showed off her sparkling new engagement ring, I tried to be happy for her, but my world was crumbling down inside. There was no romantic past, but she knew I liked her; there's more to the story; she understood and handled it gracefully. We've briefly been in touch via social networking over the recent past; her family is multi-generation orange (UT Longhorn); she's a football fan, and one of my nephews had a prominent role with the marching band, but alas two of his brothers are Aggies.
Her friendship has been one of God's blessings in my life; when you love a woman you have no choice but to wish God's blessings on her each and every day of her life, even a life without you.
